The Hollywood Strike is growing, and fans have questions: should they boycott? Where to they give support?
On Friday, the Screen Actor’s Guild, the union representing virtually all screen actors in the United States, voted overwhelmingly to go on strike. They’ve joined forces with the screenwriters’ guiild, which went on strike several weeks early, against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Televission Producers (which represents Disney, Netflix, Amazon, and other giants of the screen). It’s the first dual strike in Hollywoodd in over sixty years.
But what about the fans? Fans in support of the strike (and those not are not worth talking about) want to now how they can show their support.
Should they boycott Netflix and Disney?
No boycott has been called for by either union. In fact, some guild members have asked fans to specifically watch recent works by their favorite screenwriters and actors, strengthening their arguments against the studios.
One of the reasons for this Hollywood strike is that streaming services have been removing shows shortly after launch to avoid paying residuals. Watching shows that have already aired shows that people want them to remain available, and will pay for them.
When will the new movies and shows dry up?
It varies. Many series will be delayed by the strikes, and the premier dates of movies may be affected. Some television, like John Oliver’s show, is already off the air as a measure of solidarity.
What else will be affected?
Actors and writers will not be coming to promotional events, like the Emmys or Comic-Con, until this strike is resolved. They may attend as individuals, but the strike conditions prohibit them from any promotion or recognition of struck projects, so they won’t be there fielding your questions about your favorite shows or accepting awards.
